MYANMAR MOTORBIKE RIDERS’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR FATALITY RISK REDUCTION
Keywords:
Fatality risk reduction, road safety, structural equation modeling, value of statistical life, willingness to payAbstract
The rapid rise in the number of motorbikes in Myanmar over the last few years has resulted in a commensurate increase in road accidents, with nearly half of all road traffic deaths being motorbike riders. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve road safety in general, with a specific focus on motorbike accidents. This study estimates the value of statistical life (VSL) for Myanmar motorcyclists and examines the influence of the individual rider characteristics on the willingness to pay (WTP) for fatality risk reduction. A contingent valuation payment card approach was used to determine the motorcyclist WTP for fatality risk reduction, after which structural equation modeling was used to explore the factors affecting WTP. The resultant median and mean VSL were found to be MMK 145.833 million (US$ 121528) and MMK 162.687 million (US$ 135573), with gender (male) being found to negatively influence and government staff being found to positively influence good driving behavior. Gender (male) was also found to have a positive direct effect on the WTP; however, the resultant total effect on the WTP was negative. Socioeconomic characteristics, good driving behavior, and risk perception factors were found to positively influence the WTP, with the good driving behavior factor being found to have the strongest effect. This study can be used to assist road transport authorities to make decisions on budget allocations for road safety related projects and to develop road safety policies.
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Myanmar Motorbike Riders’ WTP for Fatality Risk Reduction
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